Summary: Virginia Resources Authority; purpose; community development and housing projects. Adds community developmentprojects related to the production and preservation of housing, includinghousing for persons and families of low and moderate income, to those projects that the Virginia Resources Authority may finance.The bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Developmentto assist the Authority with determining which local governments are to receive grants from the Authority for such projects.

Summary: Virginia Port Authority; tax credits and grants. Creates grant programs to replace the barge and rail usage tax creditand the Virginia port volume increase tax credit when those creditsexpire on January 1, 2025. The bill also creates a new Port of VirginiaEconomic Development Grant Program consisting of two component programs:the Economic and Infrastructure Development Grant Program and theInternational Trade Facility Grant Program. The bill also moves thesunset date of the existing Port of Virginia Economic and InfrastructureDevelopment Grant Fund and Program from June 30, 2025, to December31, 2024.

Summary: Administrative Process Act; Department of Wildlife Resources; exemptions; endangered species. Clarifies that theDepartment of Wildlife Resources (the Department), in promulgating regulations and in all case decisions regarding endangered and threatenedspecies, must comply with the provisions of the Administrative ProcessAct. The bill requires the Department to file its guidance documentsrelating to threatened and endangered species for publication withthe Virginia Registrar of Regulations by August 1, 2023, and revokeor publish for comment such documents as provided in the bill byDecember 31, 2023.

Summary: Fires; negligence; firefighting; recovery ofcosts. Allows localities to collect the costs of firefightingfrom any person who negligently or intentionally without using reasonablecare and precaution starts a fire or who negligently or intentionallyfails to attempt to prevent its escape when such fire burns on anyforestland, brushland, grassland, or wasteland. Current law allowslocalities to collect the costs of firefighting only when a personintentionally starts a fire and fails to attempt to prevent its escapewhen such fire burns on any forestland, brushland, grassland, or wasteland.

Summary: Rabies vaccination of companion animals; maximumcharge. Provides that no licensed veterinarian, licensed veterinarytechnician, or other employee under the direction of such veterinariansshall (i) charge a fee or impose other costs for a rabies vaccinationexceeding $20 or (ii) require additional services alongside suchvaccination.

Summary: Cats; trap, neuter, and return programs; civilpenalty. Authorizes any public or private animal shelter, releasingagency, or hospital or clinic that is operated under the immediatesupervision of a duly licensed veterinarian to operate a trap, neuter, and return program (TNR program), as defined in the bill. The bill exempts volunteers of such program from provisions relating to abandonmentand licensing of animals and exempts the operator of such a programfrom general requirements of shelters related to holding periods,release of animals, and recordkeeping. A person who violates certainrequired provisions for such a program is subject to a civil penaltynot to exceed $150 brought by any animal control officer, humane investigator, releasing agency, or the State Veterinarian or StateVeterinarian's representative.

Summary: Food inspections; private homes; pickles andacidified vegetables; gross sales. Removes the $3,000 grosssales annual revenue cap for sales of pickles and other acidifiedvegetables that have an equilibrium pH value of 4.6 or lower thatare processed and prepared in a private home without an inspectionas otherwise required to operate a food establishment. The bill retainsother restrictions that apply in current law to the sales of suchpickles and vegetables that are processed and prepared in a privatehome without an inspection.

Summary: Landfill siting; proximity to private wells.Prohibits the siting of a new municipal solid waste landfillwithin one mile upgradient of any existing private well.

Summary: Virginia Breeders Fund; disbursements to certainbreeders and owners of horses. Provides that the Virginia BreedersFund shall disburse amounts to breeders of Virginia-bred horses andto the owners of Virginia sires of Virginia-bred horses that finishfirst, second, or third in races at designated race meetings. Undercurrent law, the disbursements only go to the winners of such races.

Summary: Reporting requirements; elimination. Eliminates the requirements that (i) the State Water Control Board report biennially on the status of its efforts to reduce the level of toxic substances in state waters and (ii) the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) report annually the results of the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee examinations and related recommendations. The bill also repeals statutes requiring the Department to report annually on its pollution prevention activities and to publish the Virginia Toxic Release Inventory each year, as well as a statute requiring the chairman of the Virginia Roanoke River Basin Advisory Committee to submit an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the committee.

Summary: Conveyance of easement. Authorizes the Departmentof Conservation and Recreation to grant and convey an easement andright-of-way over Neabsco Beach Way at Leesylvania State Park tothe River Mouth Corporation. The easement will allow ingress and egressfrom Daniel K. Ludwig Drive to the River Mouth Condominiums viaNeabsco Beach Way.

Summary: State parks; master planning requirements. Increasesfrom $500,000 to $2 million the value of physical improvements andstructures in state parks that are considered substantial improvements,as defined in the bill. The bill also stipulates that the master planning process shall not be considered an impediment to the acquisitionof inholdings, adjacent properties to be incorporated into an existingpark, or properties acquired for the development of a new park. Suchproperties, when acquired, shall be incorporated into a park's existingmaster plan as part of that plan's next scheduled 10-year review and update, or for new parks, a master plan shall be initiated withinfive years of finalizing the acquisition.

Summary: Department of Historic Resources; appropriationsfor African American cemeteries and graves. Requires appropriationsby the Department of Historic Resources for African American cemeteriesto be allocated on the bases of (i) the number of markers in a cemeteryof African Americans who were born after January 1, 1900, and interredin such cemetery prior to January 1, 1948, and (ii) the number of markers in a cemetery of African Americans who lived on or afterJanuary 1, 1800, but not after January 1, 1900. Under current law,such appropriations are allocated on the basis of the number of markersin a cemetery of African Americans who were interred in such cemeteryprior to January 1, 1948.

Summary: Conveyance of easement; Shenandoah River StatePark. Authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreationto grant and convey an easement at Shenandoah River State Park (Park)to Front Royal Parcel 1, LLC (Grantee) for the purpose of conveyinga right-of-way on the location of the existing State Route 737 (ThunderbirdRoad) to the Grantee to provide access to the lands of the Granteebisected by the Park.

Summary: State parks; Virginia National Guard Passportestablished; free entry and parking. Directs the Department ofConservation and Recreation to establish a Virginia National GuardPassport that authorizes a member of the Virginia National Guardto enter state parks without paying a parking or admission fee.

Summary: Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority; powers and duties; Department of Energy and Department of Environmental Quality; report. Provides that the Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority (the Authority) has the power and duty to (i) support energy development projects, including pump storage hydropower, energy storage, hydrogen production and uses, carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy, advanced wind and solar energy, and advanced reactors and advanced nuclear technologies; (ii) promote energy development projects on closed power plant sites, brownfield sites, former coal mine sites, reclaimed coal mine sites, abandoned mine sites lands, and lands adjacent thereto; (iii) promote energy workforce development and energy supply chain development, including the development of a manufacturing supply chain cluster for small modular reactors, advanced reactors, and advanced nuclear technologies; (iv) identify and work with, through mutually agreed collaborations, the Commonwealth’s research and development partners, in advancing efforts related to energy development in Southwest Virginia; and (v) promote the capture and beneficial use of coal mine methane from active, inactive, and abandoned coal mines as a low-carbon intensity feedstock for manufacturing and energy generation projects located in Southwest Virginia. The bill defines "energy development project" as any activity that generates, produces, or stores energy, any energy efficiency system, and any supporting ancillary activities located within Southwest Virginia and includes interests in land, improvements, and ancillary facilities and research, development, commercialization, and deployment activities designated by the Authority to the nonprofit collaborative. The bill defines "nonprofit collaborative" as a multi-site nonprofit innovative energy technology testbed established as a collaborative effort of the Department of Energy, the Authority, and the Authority's business partners to support the Authority’s purpose through energy technology research, development, commercialization, and deployment. The bill requires the Department of Energy (the Department), in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Authority, to evaluate actions needed to further develop and encourage private sector initiatives to capture, process, compress, and transport coal mine methane to better meet the Commonwealth's energy supply and manufacturing needs and improve air quality. The bill requires the Department and the Department of Environmental Quality to collaborate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on ways to coordinate the Commonwealth's efforts to further encourage the capture, processing, compression, and transport of coal mine methane with federal efforts, especially via the EPA's Coalbed Methane Outreach Program. The bill requires the Department to report its findings and any recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Commerce and Energy and the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Commerce and Labor by November 1, 2023.

Summary: South Central Wastewater Authority; watershedgeneral permit for nutrients. Directs the South Central WastewaterAuthority (SCWWA) to submit a phased construction program to theDepartment of Environmental Quality (the Department) by August 1,2023, which the Department shall approve by September 1, 2023, oras soon as possible thereafter. Such phased construction program forthe SCWWA shall be completed as soon as possible on a schedule approvedby the Department but no later than January 1, 2031. The bill alsodirects the Department to amend certain water quality improvementagreements and the Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systempermit for the SCWWA wastewater treatment facility to conform tothe changes in the bill.

Summary: Stormwater management and erosion and sedimentcontrol; agreement in lieu of plan; farm buildings; small constructionactivity. Includes farm buildings in the respective definitionsof an agreement in lieu of a plan in the stormwater management anderosion and sediment control laws. Current laws define an agreementin lieu of a plan to cover only single-family residences. The billalso defines small construction activity and makes other changes.

Summary: Loans for septic systems. Authorizes theState Water Control Board to provide loans from the Virginia WaterFacilities Revolving Fund to a local government (i) for the purposeof repairing septic systems to protect or improve water quality andprevent the pollution of state waters or (ii) that has developeda funding program to provide low-interest loans or other incentivesto businesses or individual citizens of the Commonwealth to facilitatethe repair of septic systems, improve water quality, and prevent the pollution of state waters.

Summary: Rabid animals; quarantine; access by Departmentof Health. Requires any person who confines a dog or cat for activesigns of rabies or suspected rabies to allow the Virginia Departmentof Health access to the animal during its confinement.

Summary: Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium AssistanceProgram; Fund; sunset. Creates in the state treasury a specialnonreverting fund to be known as the Dairy Producer Margin CoveragePremium Assistance Program Fund. The bill also removes the currentexpiration date of July 1, 2023, of the Dairy Producer Margin CoveragePremium Assistance Program.

Summary: Noxious weeds; invasive plant species. Removesthe provision in current law that prohibits the movement, transportation,delivery, shipment, or offering for shipment of any noxious weedinto or within the Commonwealth without a permit from the Commissionerof Agriculture and Consumer Services and grants the Board of Agricultureand Consumer Services the authority to adopt regulations governingthe conditions under which a permit will be required for such actions.The bill also adds requirements related to invasive plant species,including directing the Department of Conservation and Recreationto create an invasive plant species list and update it quadrennially.

Summary: Oyster-planting grounds; fees. Reducesthe lease application fees and lease transfer fees for general oyster-plantinggrounds and riparian oyster-planting grounds to $300 for leases ofless than 10 acres, $400 for leases of 10 acres or more but less than100 acres, and $500 for leases of 100 acres or more. Such fees incurrent law are $300 for leases of less than five acres, $500 forleases of five to 25 acres, and $1,000 for leases of more than 25acres. The bill increases the fee for transferring a riparian plantingground assignment from $5 to $300 when ownership of such riparianassignment is transferred with ownership of the adjacent highland.

Summary: Powers and duties of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission; wetland mitigation site; improving and enhancing tidalwetlands. Permits the Virginia Marine Resources Commission toprovide for the generation of wetland mitigation credits from wetlandrestoration and wetland enhancement in the establishment of a wetlandmitigation bank. The bill provides that wetland enhancement includesthe manipulation of the composition of the wetland plant speciesof an existing wetland plant community provided such manipulationis for the purpose of removing invasive wetland species and replacingthe invasive species with native species. The bill requires the Commissionto provide for unvegetated tidal wetland credits when the establishmentof unvegetated tidal wetlands is made part of, or required during,the establishment of a wetland mitigation bank. The bill also requiresthe Commission to consider wetland creation as including wetlandscreated landward of offshore structures utilized for living shorelines.

Summary: Use of subaqueous beds; nontidal waters; permit requirements; penalty. Authorizes any person to build, dump,trespass, encroach upon or over, or take or use any materials fromsubaqueous beds that are the property of the Commonwealth, providedthat such activity is conducted in nontidal waters and such personobtains a Virginia Water Protection Permit and complies with allrequirements of the Virginia Water Resources and Wetlands ProtectionProgram. A violation of the provisions of the bill is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Summary: Coastal resilience policy; research university collaborative. Directs the Secretary of Natural and HistoricResources and all relevant agencies, when setting coastal resiliencepolicies, to seek input and consultation from the Commonwealth'sresearch university collaborative, including the Virginia CoastalPolicy Center, Virginia Sea Grant, Virginia Cooperative Extension,and the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience. The billdirects the Secretary and all relevant agencies to utilize such researchuniversity collaborative's expertise, research, and data analysisfor the implementation of water management techniques and coastalresilience strategies.